RWBYSei No Rockman
by Jackie Ruby
Summary: A Shooting Star can change everything. Shatter destiny, as a young boy light years from home, becomes the shining light of hope this small team of teens needs in world of sadness. [Mega Man Star Force / Ryuusei No Rockman and RWBY crossover. Japanese names used for MMSF/RnR characters.]
1. Chapter 1, A Shooting Star's Steps

"We are miles, twenty in fact, away from the next town, Ruby. It would've taken at least half a day of walking on our own to get there, but we had an entire day since we bring… _him_ along." Jaune Arc, the blond bumbling leader of Team JNR spoke frankly. Their rag tag group was already low on supplies, and this was probably the last thing they needed. The night before, there was a sudden meteor shower, and one in particular had landed right next to the small group of students, containing a sight most unusual and worrying.

The small girl Jaune was speaking to, Ruby Rose (leader of the currently broken apart Team RWBY), was carrying the sight on her back. A young boy in blue armor, yellow lines breaking a piece of the blue, but even it was interrupted by the scratches all over him. Claw marks, fang marks, and burns older than last night surely were etched onto the armor, and the boys face had several notable bruises on it. The small girl carrying simply nodded. "We couldn't just leave him behind though Jaune. The Grimm might be low in this area, but this kid is way younger than any of us, and is clearly hurt. We've at least got to try and help him."

Jaune scratched the back of his head, looked at the boy, and sighed. "I know, I guess I'm just complaining. It's not like kids just fall out of the sky on the regular you know. Well, aside from us I guess." He replied, earning a chuckle from his orange haired compatriot Nora. He looked back at the boy, and noticed his pained face. "How old do you think he is?"

Ruby looked ahead and paused as she began to open her mouth. She readjusted the boy higher on her back, and began to speak. "Ten at the youngest, thirteen at the oldest I'd say. He keeps asking for his dad in his rest, so he must be scared at least."

The final member of the group finally spoke up, Lie Ren, pointing towards the town they approached. Flames had broken out, and screams could be heard. "Guys, we might have more problems."

* * *

Subaru Hoshikawa stirred awake. Where was he? What was happening? Why did he hear… Screaming? He opened up his eyes, pained as he was, and was met by a horrid sight. A young man with blonde hair, and nothing but a sword and shield in his hands, was being approached by a horde of beasts, twelve in count from Subaru could see.. Yet, the sight that concerned him most, was the sight of a man holding a young boy in his arms behind the would be knight.

"War-Rock… What are we looking like?" The boy spoke in a hushed tone, his partner bursting to life on a visual display inside his visor. The AM-ian frowned, before giving him a read of the situation.

"Well, we were blasted to an outlier planet in our galaxy after you beat King, but we're close enough to our friends on FM we can ask for some help later. As for the current situation, that's one of the people who were okay enough to help us out of our steaming crater and try to get us to help. We're at under half our health, and battle cards are running low." The alien responded in kind, slamming his fist into his palm at the end, a sly smirk formed on his face.

"Ready to make a riot kid?" The alien asked. The boy gave a grunt of affirmation, getting up with a stumble. The left arm of the boy changed its shape, covering itself to resemble the barrel of a shooting weapon, his famous Rock Buster now in place of his hand. Subaru took a single step, and disappeared in a flash of blue and green, the light reappearing in and between the monsters.

The final monster, mere meters from the blonde knight's face, was in mere seconds, missing its head, a round stump replaced as the final shot fired from his buster. The young man looked at the boy in blue, muzzle of the buster smoking from the heat.

"Mission… Delete...d…" Subaru collapsed, the blue armor digifying itself off of the boy. In a moment, Subaru collapsed, back in his normal clothes, though not without damage. His famous red jacket was burned and torn, claws marks on the sides. His shorts found themselves with pockets, various snacks pouring out of where they once were. The pouches attached to his belt were torn, though salvageable if taken to a tailor, bandages poking out of one, and some kind of sugary drink in the other. His red and white boots were scuffed, and melted at the top, the sole of his right boot falling off.

Luckily for him, neither his pendant, or his visualizers were damaged, the two items shining in the midst of fires in the small village.

The last thing he could see, was the blonde knight running up to him, shaking him lightly. "Hey… Hey stay with me okay?" The teen spoke to him, the shakes becoming slightly more aggressive as they continued.

Subaru let his eyes close, falling back into the darkness of unconsciousness. The last words he heard before losing himself being a small, "Thank you", coming from the knightly young man.

* * *

The next time he awoke, Subaru woke with a jump, a flash of crimson in his eyes, erasing his pupils for but a second. After reorienting himself, he studied his surroundings, trying to figure out where he was. There was a small lantern next to him, a fire lit inside dimly lighting the room around him, of which seemed to be a wooden cabin like structure, with some stones here and there in the walls, seemingly to hold a foundation of it together.

Subaru found himself wrapped in a red wool blanket, on top of a small bed, a set of pillows raising his head up. Throwing the covers off of himself, he found an unfamiliar set of clothes on. They were rather big on him, and were probably not meant for guys. It was a rather big tank top with some weird heart face bear thing on the chest, and a pair of white with rose patterned pajama pants. He figures his clothes were probably really beaten up, and someone lent him these.

Sitting on the edge of the bed, he looked at the table next to him, where the lantern sat, a small folded note next to it. Grabbing it, he was surprised he was able to read it, looking over the red ink words. 'Meet Us Outside The Room When You're Ready' it said, a small little flower design at the end where a period would be. Subaru looked back at the lantern, his pendant and visualizers sitting there.

The boy scratched the back of his head, before grabbing the items and putting them on, heading towards the door out. Opening the door, Subaru was greeted by a small hallway, lantern leading him out of it, into a small lobby of sorts, a set of chairs and couches in the center, with a few pots and pans here and there. In the seats though, were three people he didn't recognize, and one he did.

The scraggly blonde knight, a cup of warm… some kind of drink in his hands, sword and shield nowhere to be seen. Next to him sat another young man who looked to be about the same age, this one with long black hair and dressed in green. Subaru could feel a calming presence from him. Following that, an energetic orange haired girl in pink was talking on and on about the incident from earlier, the recipient being the last member of that group. A girl in red, with a torn cloak, and rose symbols a plenty. Subaru looked at his current outfit, and guessed that it came from her, since they were the closest in height to each other.

It wasn't until Subaru made a clear of his throat that the four noticed him, the blonde one choking on his drink before setting it down, holding onto the side of the couch. "Y-you're awake!" He shouted, getting up from his seat, followed by the other young man next to him.

The girl in red walked over to Subaru, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Are you feeling okay?" She asked in a kind tone, one that reminded Subaru of his home, and his family and friends. The boy nodded, before giving a half shrug. The girl nodded before walking away, grabbing the energetic girl and having her sit down on the other couch alongside her.

Subaru followed, sitting down in one of the chairs, the boy noticing his familiar blue device on the table in front of him. He grabbed the Hunter VG, frantically opening up its holographic screen. The safe and familiar sight of his Wizard sleeping peacefully upon its blue tint. The four in the room with him didn't seem disturbed by it, so perhaps this kind of tech is normal for them at least.

"So… What's your name stranger? I'm Nora, though I don't really know if I look like a Nora, but that's just something that people say, isn't it? Though I don't know if you would know since you fell out of the sky like some kind of SHOOTING STAR and-" The orange haired girl began to speak, the long haired teen next to the blonde knight giving a cough to stop her.

Subaru finally took notice of the red girl trying to give him a drink, which he took gladly. He gave it a sniff, and returned with a soft smile. Strawberry tea. He held the cup close to his chest, its warmth helping ease his heart into the situation. "My name is… Subaru Hoshikawa." He answered, his voice hushed, but not anywhere close to sad. The group seemed to relax itself a little from the tense air that had surrounded them.

"I'm Jaune Arc. You helped me during that fight." The blonde knight spoke, rubbing the back of his head a little bit. Subaru nodded, taking a sip of his tea. It was just the right warmth, and felt like home.

The guy in green spoke next, giving a slight bow, which Subaru returned in kind. "Lie Ren." Short and simple, got right to the point. Subaru mentally thanked him for being the opposite of this Nora lady.

"And that leaves me. I'm Ruby Rose. You're kinda wearing my old pajamas, hehe." The girl in red gave an awkward chuckle, Subaru giving another bow to her. Finally introduced to the group, Subaru was left in a silent state, unsure of what to say next. Thankfully for him, Jaune spoke up, introing his sentence with a clear of his throat.

"So, I don't know if you heard me before you passed out, but uh, thank you. For your help back there. My gear was just about to break, and I don't know how long I would have lasted with it." Jaune thanked the boy, Subaru nodding, before speaking back up again.

"What about those two? The man and that boy? Were they okay in the end?" Subaru spoke worriedly, Jaune gaining a shocked looked, before nodding profusely. "Y-yeah! They made it out just fine! Thanks to us and a few other people with a little experience in combat we managed to send the Grimm out! Thanks to our efforts, there were no casualties last night." Jaune replied, Subaru's face growing in aptitude with a smile, a small tear forming in his eye.

"I-I'm so happy to hear that." Subaru said, the tear falling down, just barely missing his tea. It was silent for a heart beat, before Rubay finally spoke up, addressing the giant elephant in the room.

"Subaru, what were you doing before you crashed from the sky? You fell down like you came from space itself. And those claw marks… Were you fighting a Grimm?" The silver eyed girl spoke, the air turning cold around Subaru.

The boy was silent, as he remembered the very events that shot him to this planet. _Claws, mangled teeth comprised of warped waves, lasers, his father fading before his eyes. His rage._

Subaru swallowed his fear, his eyes growing fierce, yet sorrowful. "Yes… Yes, I was in a fight. Though, not with a, er, Grumm? Was it?" The response warranted a confused look from the other four. How could someone not know what a Grimm is? They're literal monsters, and this kid just didn't acknowledge them?

Subaru cut the silence, when he looked up from his tea, his fierce eyes, an answer unexpected to the others in the room. "I was above my home planet of Earth." The room fell silent, the crackling of fire in the lanterns making the only sound.

Then Nora began boasting.

"HAH! I KNEW HE WAS AN ALIEN, I CALLED IT!"

"Actually, I was the one to first suggest him being alien in origin." Ren spoke, Nora's ego deflating just a bit.

"Yeah, but I was the first to agree with you."

"Guys, please." Jaune spoke, his head falling into his hands. Ruby falling into a chuckle at the others shenanigans, Subaru falling suit soon enough (though his was a bit more muted). The group quieted down, the focus returning to Subaru, the boy adjusting the glasses on top of his head.

"Sorry, please continue." Ren spoke for Nora, giving Subaru a small bow, one which he returned in kind. Subaru took another sip from his cup, the memories before crashing coming back.

"I was above my planet, aboard the largest threat I had seen in a year…"

* * *

"Meteor G…"

_The scenery swirled and crackled, data made physical shattering itself as it was created pre-corrupted. A torn and hurt Rockman stood before the Crimson Dragon, the mighty beast giving a loud roar as the sound wave moved him back a bit. Subaru lamented to himself, a single word leaving his mouth, unheard by any due to the deafening sound of the Meteor._

_Rockman stared upwards, his eyes painted red as he let out his own furious scream, his appearance warping. Subaru's mind becomes hazy, as he can't remember the form he took for this. What color was the suit? Was he Red? Was he Black? Was he Blue? Was he even in control? All he remembered was that the enemy was destroyed, and with it the Meteor._

_His memory begins to fade, as the explosion of the hurling, corrupted, disgusting data compromised rock began to envelope him, sending him out of it. The last sight he saw being his hand holding onto that of his father's._

* * *

"Then I assume I crashed here, you four found me, and here we are now." Subaru took the final sip of his tea. Funny.

The tea was sweet, yet that last little bit seemed so bitter.

Though he didn't feel that way for long. Suddenly a warm grasp was around him, two pairs of arms wrapped around him. Jaune and Ruby, held the boy in a hug, Nora and Ren soon after. Subaru was unsure of how to feel at first, but then he remembered this emotion. He let himself go into the embraces of the teens, tears finally letting themselves escape. How long had held himself from crying? Even during the scare of Luna's data scattering, he managed to hold his tears at bay.

But this feeling? It was finally enough to bring him back. This wasn't sadness, this wasn't grief. He hadn't lost someone again, he was sure his dad made it out of that dragon.

No. For the first time in years, Subaru had finally felt this emotion again, and it was tearing at him.

Closure.

Subaru was finally given closure. From when he first lost his father, to meeting War Rock, fighting Andromeda, Ra Mu, Apollo Flame, Sirius, and finally destroying Crimson Dragon… Mr. King… Seeing his father again, and knowing he's home, probably doing what he can to find his son…

He's only eleven, twelve in a month or so. No child should ever have to go through what he has, but for ever hard day he's had, for every punch, kick, blast, or explosion, he's finally found a happy ending. He wouldn't trade any day he's had so far for a thing in the world.

And so, Subaru finally let himself melt into the kind hearts of these strangers. He didn't care what happened next, because he knows he's ready for whatever may come his way.

* * *

The next morning sun shone over the little inn, Subaru waking up in the only bed in the room, Team RNJR (or were they calling themselves Team JNRR) having slept on the floor in bags. Subaru put his pendant and visualizers back on, holding the star cluster shaped necklace close.

While he doesn't know his helpers full story yet, he did get the basics after he calmed down last night. The four teens were on their way to Haven Academy in the kingdom of Mistral (which is just outside of where they are now) and had agreed to help this town with a problem surrounding these creatures they call Grimm, which were as Subaru puts it to himself, and War Rock when he woke up, 'Literal Soulless Monsters'.

Subaru walked over to the wardrobe, the four teens putting away their stuff in the bags they carry, before he realized something. "Hey, uh… Where are my clothes?"

The four teens froze, before looking at him in worry. "We put them in the night stand… In the drawer…" Jaune spoke, unsure of how to tell him what happened to the clothes. Subaru walked over to the stand, opening it up, and finding out the truth.

"OH MY GOD." The young hero exclaimed, pulling out his red jacket, the holes and burns clearly displaying full sunlight through them. "This was my favorite jacket, man come on!" Subaru lowered the destroyed cloth and sighed. "Oh well… I was gonna ask for a new one for my birthday anyways." The boy folded the jacket and grabbed his bright neon green shirt out of the drawer next, happy to see it undamaged, changing out of the pajama shirt and into it in a flash. He looked over the other things of his, his shorts at least wearable, putting a bandaid over the holes in his belt pouches and putting things back in them. Finally his shoes. He stopped at his boots, giving another sigh, though heavier than the last.

"These were a gift from my dad before he went out into space. Got them for me, because I had been staring at them for weeks in a shop window we would pass after doing shopping. They were a couple sizes too big for me, but they always fit just right." He spoke to the teens, holding the boots close to him. He hugged them tightly, Jaune putting a hand on his shoulder.

"Hey, I just wanted to say that I'm sorry. We've all been going through a lot of stuff, and ending up on an alien planet doesn't sound easy." The scraggly teen spoke, Subaru looking at him with a smile. Then, a lightbulb went off in Jaunes head. "The agreement!" He suddenly shouted, the other teens looking at him in surprise.

"Why are you suddenly talking about that?" Ruby asked, grabbing a metallic rectangle from the wardrobe. Jaune grabbed her shoulders, whispering into her ear a little. The girls mouth formed into a smile, her silver eyes peering over at Subaru. "Jaune that's great! You tell Subaru what we're doing and I'll go meet with the town leader!' The girl in red spoke excitedly, running out of the room in a flash, rose petals trailed behind her.

Subaru looked in confusion, snapping the Hunter VG to his wrist, Nora and Ren giving him a shrug, while Jaune looked at the boy with a big smile. "What just happened?" Subaru asked, unsure of the current situation.

* * *

As the current members of JNR and Subaru walked into town, the boy found himself ushered into another wood cabin, this one hotter than the last, Ruby already there, conversing with a large man (with horns on his head, of which made Subaru do a comical double take), before the two turned their attention to the boy.

"So, this the kid I'd be making the other set for? He looks pretty young…" The man looked Subaru over, focusing on the boys shoes, the torn shorts and pouches, and his burnt jacket. Though, as he finished the look over, he focused on Subaru's eyes, giving a smile before nodding his head. "But I'm liking his spirit! He's got a fire in his eyes that most people are losing these days. Kids like him will bring a great future to Remnant, just like you four! Very well, let me measure him and after I finish blonde boys set, I'll get to work on his!" The man boasted, a hearty laugh following his words, moving out from behind the counter, a small rope in his hands.

The man proceeded to wrap Subaru in the rope a few times, before checking his height with the cord. The man then tapped against Subaru's shoes. "If I may young man, where did you get these clothes? These things seem to have been through hell and back, and from what little red over here told me, they were only really damaged like this after a huge meteor like strike." The man spoke, Subaru thinking of his answer.

"I got them from my dad, sir. One of the best men in the universe." Subaru said, a confidence in voice unmatched by many. The man let out another laugh, before getting up and patting Subaru on the shoulder.

"Your dad sounds like he has a good head on his shoulders! If I may be so bold, would you want me to make you some new shoes out of the old ones? Same offer for your jacket." The man offered, holding his hand out. Subaru was stunned, before quickly handing over his jacket and giving the man his shoes. The man smiled, holding the objects carefully. "I'll treat them with care kid. Now, one last question: What symbol do you want on the jacket?"

This question stumped Subaru. "Symbol? What do you mean?"

Ren held up his hand, approaching Subaru calmly. "Most huntsman and huntresses have a sort of symbol, to represent them and their work. They put it on anything, from signatures, to clothes, to the weapons they wield." He explained, pulling out his StormFlowers to show the handle with little flower pattern, Ruby showing off her pin, Nora turning around to show the back of her jacket.

"Mine's uh… Being worked on." Jaune said, as Subaru looked over at him.

Subaru took a moment to think to himself, before deciding. He held up his pendant, slanting it just a little, to make it look as if something were shooting by. "Can you put it on the soles of my shoes too?" He asked, the man smiling in response.

"There's not a thing this Blacksmith can't do! His set should be done by the time you get back from your hunt." The man spoke to the group, before heading into the back with the stuff.

Everyone looked at Subaru and smiled. Subaru smiled back, looking at his Hunter, and deciding that maybe, just maybe, being here for a while (until they message Planet FM of course) may just be okay.

* * *

This was so not okay.

"I'm just saying there are more members of Team JNPR than RWBY. It just makes more sense to go with JNRR!" Nora exasperated, Ren shaking his head.

"But "Junior" isn't a color." He replied.

"Ugh, can I be more clear?! One… Two… Three! That's MORE than one."

"But we're helping Ruby, since this was her idea. Wouldn't that make her, the leader? Let's also not forget that we have Subaru with us now too, so if we went with RNJR, we'd have to add his S to the end to make it RNJRS, which sounds more official."

"Guys, we need to focus." Jaune butted in, Subaru breathing in a sigh of relief. "Also, JNRRS is way cooler." Subaru was about to kill the man he saved. Thankfully before Subaru could counter, he was interrupted by a shaking of the ground beneath them. "It's here." Jaune spoke.

BANG! Ruby flew out from the top of the trees, firing her weapon Crescent Rose, as a hulking rock giant chased after her. Breaking apart the trees, the two fell from a nearby cliff, creating a clearing from the impact.

"Let's get that thing off her!" Jaune spoke, the members of JNR running to help. Subaru focused on his Hunter, a holographic display showing him the badge of his power. Subaru nodded as War Rock appeared on screen.

"TRANSCODE DOUBLE O THREE! SHOOTING STAR… ROCKMAN!" In a flash, Subaru had changed, the armor from the night before enveloping him in a blue light. It was still damaged though, which Subaru took note of. "Hey War Rock, why are we still torn and burned? Doesn't the suit usually change itself back to normal after a fight?"

"Eh, sorry kid. The high amounts of Noise we were in are keeping it from self repair, I'm gonna have to design an all new set of armor after this. Just try to keep damage to a minimum, and I think we'll be fine." The alien explained, a screen inside of the buster displaying data and code behind him. "Battle Cards are fully stocked though, so go wild on this thing!"

"Wild isn't exactly what I wanna do right now." Subaru replied sticking himself close to Jaune. "You don't have a weapon on you currently, right? I'll be your cover!" The boy readied his ever trusty Rock Buster, the muzzle charging a green glow. Subaru took aim, following the giant rock monster.

"Uhh, Rockman?" Jaune asked, puzzled by the phrase said by the boy earlier.

"It's what I'm called in this state. As for the rest of that, I'll tell you later." Rockman replied, a loud firing of Ruby's weapon halting the conversation. Jaune nods and Nora and Ren take off towards the two combatants, Rockman and Jaune following shortly after.

"Draw it's attention away from Ruby!" Jaune shouts at the group, the red clad girl zooming past them in a flurry of petals. Nora, using her weapon fires a few of her odd grenades at the back of the beast's rocky torso, Ren getting close to Rockman and Jaune.

"How strong are you like that?" The calm man asks, Subaru giving a grin in return.

"Haven't checked in a while, but if you need a boost, I'm on it!" Rockman changed his buster back into his hand, pausing as he lowered himself into a kneeling state, holding his hands together for Ren. The older teen placed a single foot in, before leaping up just as Rockman tossed him into the air, the green boy flying upwards, attempting several hits with his blades, with minimal effect.

Landing back on the ground, the three began to run again. "My blades aren't doing anything!" Ren exclaimed, the trio meeting up with Ruby, who had loaded a new cartridge into her weapon. Firing, a bolt of electricity whizzes past the group, hitting the monster's arm.

The Grimm's rock arm glows a bright red, slamming into the ground as the electricity is cancelled out, sending the group flying, save for Rockman and Jaune who were protected by the shining green shield the blue bomber had shot up from his buster. "Thanks." The blonde wonder gasped, Rockman giving a nod in return.

"That's it!" Nor exclaimed from the other side of the beast, switching her weapon to hammer mode. Using the blunt side, she slams the ground, sending her rocketing towards the monster, using her momentum to swing her Magnhild and BREAK the boulderous arm. Keeping the shield up, Rockman and Jaune make their way to a dead tree nearby.

Using it's remaining arm, the Grimm defends itself from Ruby and Nora, making its way across the clearing. Stopping right behind Jaune and Rockman, a ghastly thin arm bursts its way out of the rocky torso, slamming itself into the hollow tree husk, ripping the roots out of the ground, before swinging at the air with it's new arm.

"HIS ARM IS A TREE!" Jaune screams, Rockman lowering his shield and producing a small card from thin air.

"Not for long!" The boy shouts, swiping the card against his buster, his left hand slowly becoming enveloped by a huge red glove. The monster swings it's new arm, Rockman in retaliation rearing his fist back… "Impact…" Rockman SLAMS his fist into the tree, shattering the new appendage in an instant hit. "HOOK!"

Ren follows the blow with a toss of one of his weapons, slicing the mask of the enemies face. The creature screeched, falling down on itself. The rest of the group make their way over to Jaune and Rockman, Jaune putting a contemplative look on its face, Rockman doing the same. "Okay, let's work through this." The two said in unison, looking at each other in surprise, before going back to the task at hand.

"His body is too tough to break through." Ren panted out, catching the returning weapon like a boomerang.

"It doesn't care about the body though." Jaune started the weakness list.

"Plus, it can just add more limbs!" Nora exclaimed with worry.

"The limbs are only protecting the face." Rockman added, Jaune nodding in agreement.

"We can't break it!" Ruby gave out, exasperation in her voice.

Blue and Blonde looked at each other and smiled. The two looked at the three, and pointed to the sky. "Then we hit it harder!" The two exclaimed, met by silence and deadpan looks by the other three.

"What?"

"It's trying to keep us from the face!" Rockman started, pointing to his fellow puzzle solver in pride.

"So if we kill the limbs we get a clean shot at its face!" Jaune pointed back towards his fellow strategist.

"Alright then. Let's do this team!" Ruby exclaimed, tightening her grip on Crescent Rose.

Jaune nodded, pointing his arms in different directions. "Ren, Ruby, on the right." The two spread out as instructed. "Rockman, Nora, I want you two together on this. You got another strong hitter with you?" Rockman nodded, pulling out another card. "Nora, ready for that new upgrade?"

Ren and Ruby run at the side of the monster, attacking the remaining arm, keeping its attention on them. Jaune, Nora, and Rockman head to the back of the clearing, Nora pressing a button on her weapon, an electric charge pumping through her. Ruby swirls herself and Ren into a mix of Red and Green petals as the two rush at the rocky arm, the pair kicking the appendage into the monsters legs, knocking it off balance.

Nora shuffles her feet, drawing her hammer back, electricity crackling in her eyes. "Ready!" Rockman looks at Jaune, and the blonde knight nods. Jumping into the air, Rockman aims his feet back in midair, swiping the card as his fist becomes engulfed in flames. Nora swings Magnhild, hitting the base of Rockman's armored boots, sending the hero boy flying towards the Grimm. "Heat…" Rockman draws his fist towards his stomach, the monster turning its torso to see the armored kid flying towards it. Rockman shoots his fist upwards, the fire in his fist EXPLODING the rocky torso of the creature, sending the actual body of the grimm flying out of the rubble. "UPPER!"

Ruby, landing with Ren next to Jaune and Nora, changes her scythe into its square gun again, letting a shot out at the spiraling Geist.

"Another victory for Team JNRRS!" Jaune cheered, to the response of nobody. "Y-yeah, you know what, Ren I think you're onto something. It's just not sounding cool anymore."

Rockman approached the four, his hand still on fire. "What'd I miss?" The four simply stared at the hand, not paying attention to the question. "What?"

* * *

Upon returning to town, Subaru was dropped off at the blacksmith's while the other four went to meet with the mayor. Entering the hot room once again, the boy was met with a huge smile by the smithy. "Ah, right on cue! I just finished your set! Let me get it out for you." The man spoke, going back into the room next door.

Exiting, he put a bag on the table, a smile on his face. "I made some modifications here and there, try and make it more appropriate for any weather you might face here. Added a new shirt and pants in too, free of charge. But, they'll definitely feel heavier, since they've got some chainmail in them." The smithy spoke, Subaru looking at the man with a smile.

Heading into the other room, Subaru was just missed by the entering RNJR. "Ah, you four have caught up. Give it a couple minutes, the kids changing right now." The man explained, pointing at the other room with his thumb. So the four did as was told, and waited on their new friend.

Subaru let out a sigh, as he looked at the smithy outside the room. This new outfit will take some getting used to, but it'll be worth it. Taking a step out of the room, the boy was met with excited smiles.

In place of his burned jacket, was a longer coat that reached his knees with a split in the middle reaching up to his waist, made from the same materials as the destroyed cloth, the same red prevalent throughout, yellow lines to the sides of where the zipper parts are, same white stars on the shoulders. Though instead of closing around his neck, a large collar was in place instead, flat instead of popped, and open instead of closed, sleeves rolled up to his forearms.

In place of his bright neon green shirt, a dark navy blue shirt had taken its place, a small sword and shield symbol over his left chest. Replacing his shorts, were a pair of skinny long black pants, though his belt and pouches remained the same as ever. Finally, his shoes had changed the most. Though keeping their material, they had changed to a pair of boots, raising his height a little, laces having been put in, and the white accents changing to black (almost matching Ruby in a sense).

Spinning around, the teens could see the shooting star / star cluster symbol on the back of the coat, colored in the same yellow as the pendant's gold. Raising his boots, the symbol was present on them too, though in mirror image on the opposite foot respectively so as to not look odd.

"Kid looks like a huntsman in training! I'd say he's on his way to being a hero! I'll be back with scraggly's in a bit." The blacksmith chuckled, heading back into the other room.

"WOW!" Ruby cheered, the whole group getting close to look at Subaru's new outfit. "It reminds me of some cool video game protagonist! But not like, some generic superhero, like one of those cool 'I play by my own rules' kind." The red girl squeaked out, Jaune nodding in agreement.

"Well, it'll get me through until I contact Planet FM for a lift home. The signal isn't too good right here, so here's hoping this Mistral place will help." Subaru admitted, his sentence being finished by the loud clang of metal behind him.

"Here you are! It's a bit heavier than what you're probably used to, but you'll thank me next time you're up against a set of claws!" The blacksmith cheered, growing a smile on his face. Jaune looked at the armor, holding it up with a hesitant look. "Well, go on! Start trying it out while I go get the rest." The smithy finished, walking back into the other room.

Jaune starts taking off his old chestplate, letting out a sigh. "Guess I was gonna grow out of it eventually." Ren places a hand on his friend's shoulder.

"It's a sign of progress." The green teen speaks, Jaune nodding in response.

"Progress." Jaune turns around, and is met with a stifled chuckle from Ruby, and a look of happiness from Subaru. "W-what? What is it?"

"Pfffttt, what is that?!" The girl in red points at the boys hoodie, the small face of a rabbit on the front. Jaune looks down in confusion, dusting off the face of the rabbit.

"What, my hoodie? I've always had this." He explains, RUby's laughter becoming harder and harder to contain.

She lets out a snort. "It's got a cute little bunny rabbit!" She lets out a laugh this time.

"It's Pumpkin Pete! You know, from the cereal?"

Ruby is starting to form tears in her eyes. "What did you do?! Send in box tops for a prize?"

Jaune turns away, but Subaru follows the front of the jacket. "Yeah! Fifty of them!"

Ruby proceeds to fall down from laughter, but Subaru reaches his hand up to pat Jaune's shoulder. "Well I think it's great! I think it's nice that even from the solemn faces you guys made when you told me where we're going, you can still find happiness here." The boy speaks, in both a blunt and hopeful manner, making the others shocked.

The group is broken out of their silence, as the blacksmith slams a sheath on the counter. "Can't have a Huntsman without his weapon! Made all the modifications you asked for." Jaune looks into the shield, his face becoming sorrowful, a look not unnoticed by Subaru. "That was some fine metal you brought me. Accents the white nicely. Where'd you get it from?"

Jaune spoke softly, the expression plastered on his face unchanging. "From a friend."

The rest of the group walked out of the shop as Jaune changed himself, waiting only a few moments before he walked out of the shop, new armor and accessories shining under the afternoon sun.

"These two boys clean up alright, don't they?" The smith said with pride, the teens nodding in agreement.

"Nothing's gonna stop Team RNJRS now!" Ruby cheered, a fist pumping high into the air.

"Team JNRRS!" Nora pointed, a high and mighty sound in her tone, Jaune letting out a sigh.

"It doesn't matter what we're called. As long as the five of us are together, I think things are gonna start changing around." The blonde knight spoke, Subaru nodding in agreement.

"Here, here!" Subaru and Ren said together, a smile flashing up on the green warriors face for but a moment.

"Are you sure you kids won't stay around? You've been real good to this town, and I'm sure the young one here is at least a little tired from what he's been through." The blacksmith offered, Ruby shaking her head.

"Sorry, but we have another mission to clear." She responded, adjusting the bag on her back.

"Make it to Haven Academy, no matter what!" Nora cheered, pointing towards the sky.

"And I'm more than capable of handling myself." Subaru spoke up, adjusting the Hunter VG on his wrist.

"We heard the next village over has a working airship, so we're looking to catch a ride on that." Ren spoke, grabbing his own bag from the gorund.

The blacksmith rubbed his chin for a moment, looking away as he spoke his thoughts aloud. "No way to know for sure. Scroll signals were weak enough out here back when Beacon Tower was still up and running, but with it like it is now… We haven't exactly heard from Shion in a while."

"Well, there's only one way to find out!" Ruby said excitedly, the group beginning to walk away, waving goodbye to the Blacksmith as they left.

* * *

"Food?" Jaune asked.

"Check!" Nora cheered back.

"Water?"

"Check!"

"How about ammo?"

"Locked and loaded! Thank you Schnee Dust Company!"

"Got the map?"

"I have it. I saw Nora leave it in the smith's shop so I had War Rock grab it before we started to leave. Side note, why would there be a company for making dead skin cells?" Subaru inquired, the group letting out a sigh.

"This might take a while." Ren said plainly, Jaune and Nora nodding in agreement, Ruby looking to the side with sorrow.

"Speaking of me though." War Rock interrupted, bursting out of the Hunter, giving Subaru a grin.

"WAH! GRIMM!" Nora screamed, arming Magnhild.

"NOT A GRIMM! NOT A GRIMM!" Subaru shouted, standing in front of the alien. "This is War Rock, he's my partner. He helps make me Rockman. He's also an alien."

"Nice to meet ya. I'll talk to you all more later, but right now the kid's my focus. Anyways, as I was about to say, I just finished coding the new armor. Wanna give it a try?" The big guy spoke, giving a wicked grin. Subaru nodded enthusiastically, stepping in front of the group as he raised his hunter.

"TRANSCODE DOUBLE O THREE! SHOOTING STAR… ROCKMAN!" The boy shouted, a small light appearing for a second, before Rockman took the boy's place. However, the armor had changed ever so slightly. The holes had been repaired, and any burns had disappeared. The yellow lines that were once on the side had changed to silver, and there were a few dots here and there that emulated stars scattered around the suit. Finally, the biggest change was the addition of a flowing grey scarf around the hero's neck. "Woah~! Check out this hero muffler!"

"Figured that if Harp Note could have one, so could we." War Rock spoke from inside the buster on the boys left arm, a nod in response. Subaru emulated heroic poses, letting out little excited noises now and then.

The teens of RNJR looked at the scene and smiled, Subaru continuing his antics. "You know, looking at him, a kid who has gone through so much like us, yet still managing to find these small pleasures… Gives me hope." Ren spoke for the group, everyone nodding in response.

Subaru flashed out of the armor and back into his regular self, giving a big smile. "Well, what are we waiting for? Let's go!" The boy cheered, turning around and beginning to sprint. The teens looking in surprise, before gaining smiles of their own, chasing after the boy.

"Wait for us!" Jaune shouted, Ruby running ahead of him, her silver eyes staring up to the blue sky above them all.

'Maybe, just maybe, we're all looking at the same sky right now. Weiss, Blake, Yang… I hope we'll see each other again soon.' The red riding huntress thought to herself, looking back at the boy running ahead of them, laughter escaping his lungs. 'And when we meet, it'll be like the wish I made on a shooting star.'

* * *

**A journey interrupted by a visitor from the stars that defies the story once told. Fate no longer exists, as the story changes to a tale of hope! Make haste to Haven Academy, RNJR, Shooting Star Rockman!**

_Ruby swings a slice with her Crescent Rose, Jaune cutting in with a chop of his Crocea Mors, before the two fade into stardust, Subaru's back becoming the focus, before Rockman turns around to face the oncoming obstacle, War Rock bursting out of the Rock Buster, the duo beginning a punching and blasting barrage._

_**As all these memories fade to stardust**_

_**Let's brave the world as the hunters we are**_

_**We'll make it far**_

_**Can't let the hands of time enslave us**_

_**'Cause you know that's not the way we wanna go**_

_Team RNJR looks up at the starry night sky above them, as a meteor shower rages above them, Rockman crashes towards them. The blue bomber shakes the hit off, before changing into Subaru as the now group of five begin their trek towards Mistral. Black and white claws surround the group, but once they reach Subaru in the middle, they disappear in an instant flash of blue._

_**Caught up in a bind; fingers tied**_

_**But I'm gonna prove that we've won**_

_**'Cause we're made of platinum**_

_The quintrio set up a camp for the night (Subaru jumping behind the campfire), before they all wake up to watch the morning sun. A series of wave roads, covered in the faces of all of RNJR and Subaru's friends intertwine, swirling into the leaders of RWBY and JNR, Subaru fading in later as the three stand tall, chests puffed out as the youngest of the group leads the other two in a proud smile._

_**Take a stand, take a stand, take a stand**_

_**And you'll turn it around**_

_**Understand, understand, understand**_

_**That they'll burn to the ground**_

_**Break it down, break it down, break it down**_

_**And don't give me a frown**_

_Ren jumps from tree to tree, shooting his Stormflowers at an unseen target, Nora interrupting as she swings Magnhild in an upward arc, the enemy sent flying as Ruby meets it with a swipe of her Crescent Rose, Jaune coming in from the side with a swing of his dual hand mode Crocea Mors. The foe's vision spirals upwards as they see Rockman face against Tyrian, a shout escaping his lungs as his armor begins to stain itself in a red hue, horns sprouting out of the helmet, flames erupting around him._

_**Be a star and try to STAND PROUD!**_

_The scene cuts back to a regular armor Rockman, the boy punching a barrier, which behind it stands the faces of a witch and a blood red dragon. War Rock bursts out once more, but now joined by Team RNJR as the group once more begins an attack on the barrier. Rockman and War Rock punching, Ruby, Jaune, and Ren using their respective weapons to slice the obstacle, Nora using Magnhild to slam on the barrier. The group finishes the barrage as the ends of their respective weapons break the barrier like glass, the fists of Rockman and War Rock smoking as they stop._

* * *

**Back to writing huh? I've been pretty busy, but there are other reasons for my absence. I updated my profile, so check that out if you're wondering why I'm making this, over updating my other stories. Until next time, maybe. - Jackie**

* * *

**RWBYSei Omake!**

Subaru looks at himself, but in some kind of leather jacket, two girls with multicolored eyes next to them.

"So, while we're on break, another me takes over?" The leather jacket Subaru speaks, the girl with Red and Blue eyes nodding.

"It'll be fine, besides our stories are still in progress, the writer will get to us eventually." The R/B girl spoke.

"Author is still planning my story, kind of." The girl with green and purple eyes chimed in, a sweat bead dropping from her forehead.

Finally, our Subaru speaks, looking at you, our reader. "I have a feeling that I might end up being next at some point sadly."

* * *

**NEXT TIME:**

**Nora: **Dreams are weird.

**Jaune: **I'm not sure this is a good idea!

**Ren: **Nora, these hoofprints…

**Ruby: **Hope is exactly what we need!

**Of Dreams And Hopes!  
****Subaru: **Who has need for luck or fate? I'm just out here living my life.


	2. Chapter 2, Of Hopes And Dreams

**A journey interrupted by a visitor from the stars that defies the story once told. Fate no longer exists, as the story changes to a tale of hope! Make haste to Haven Academy, RNJR, Shooting Star Rockman!**

_Ruby swings a slice with her Crescent Rose, Jaune cutting in with a chop of his Crocea Mors, before the two fade into stardust, Subaru's back becoming the focus, before Rockman turns around to face the oncoming obstacle, War Rock bursting out of the Rock Buster, the duo beginning a punching and blasting barrage._

_**As all these memories fade to stardust**_

_**Let's brave the world as the hunters we are**_

_**We'll make it far**_

_**Can't let the hands of time enslave us**_

_**'Cause you know that's not the way we wanna go**_

_Team RNJR looks up at the starry night sky above them, as a meteor shower rages above them, Rockman crashes towards them. The blue bomber shakes the hit off, before changing into Subaru as the now group of five begin their trek towards Mistral. Black and white claws surround the group, but once they reach Subaru in the middle, they disappear in an instant flash of blue._

_**Caught up in a bind; fingers tied**_

_**But I'm gonna prove that we've won**_

_**'Cause we're made of platinum**_

_The quintrio set up a camp for the night (Subaru jumping behind the campfire), before they all wake up to watch the morning sun. A series of wave roads, covered in the faces of all of RNJR and Subaru's friends intertwine, swirling into the leaders of RWBY and JNR, Subaru fading in later as the three stand tall, chests puffed out as the youngest of the group leads the other two in a proud smile._

_**Take a stand, take a stand, take a stand**_

_**And you'll turn it around**_

_**Understand, understand, understand**_

_**That they'll burn to the ground**_

_**Break it down, break it down, break it down**_

_**And don't give me a frown**_

_Ren jumps from tree to tree, shooting his Stormflowers at an unseen target, Nora interrupting as she swings Magnhild in an upward arc, the enemy sent flying as Ruby meets it with a swipe of her Crescent Rose, Jaune coming in from the side with a swing of his dual hand mode Crocea Mors. The foe's vision spirals upwards as they see Rockman face against Tyrian, a shout escaping his lungs as his armor begins to stain itself in a red hue, horns sprouting out of the helmet, flames erupting around him._

_**Be a star and try to STAND PROUD!**_

_The scene cuts back to a regular armor Rockman, the boy punching a barrier, which behind it stands the faces of a witch and a blood red dragon. War Rock bursts out once more, but now joined by Team RNJR as the group once more begins an attack on the barrier. Rockman and War Rock punching, Ruby, Jaune, and Ren using their respective weapons to slice the obstacle, Nora using Magnhild to slam on the barrier. The group finishes the barrage as the ends of their respective weapons break the barrier like glass, the fists of Rockman and War Rock smoking as they stop._

* * *

It's not exactly easy camping on rough terrain, especially when your everything still aches from fighting a giant dragon made of electronic tech malfunctions. Though, Subaru Hoshikawa is pulling through it just fine, or so he says. He overlooks the group he's been travelling with as he starts putting out the fire they were sleeping against, the morning sun peeking its shining face over the treetops. Offered to take the final watch, Subaru took it gladly. Gave him enough time to stargaze, and watch the rise of the sun.

The boy nodded to himself as he extinguishes the final ember, and looks at a nearby tree. He walks over to it and examines its branches. He grabs a hold of a sturdy one and begins to pull himself on top of it, climbing about halfway up the tree in about half a minute. He sets himself on a branch, legs dangling in the breeze as he watches the sunrise, when he hears a gasp come from one of his party members.

Looking over, he sees Ruby awake, eyes in surprise, the girl looking around the camp, eyes landing on Subaru in the tree. The boy gives her a small salute, before jumping from the branch landing with low thud, though with a little scuff on his arm. "Oh, shoot." He says to himself, walking over to the campsite, the scuff staying, despite the logic Ruby knows of her world.

* * *

And so as the other three woke up, the group of five gathered their things, and set on their trail again. Subaru held the map, Jaune taught him how to read Remnian maps, and the others chatted amongst themselves. The scuff was still there.

"Hey, Subaru?" Ruby spoke up, the boy looking up from the map as he looked at the red headed leader.

"Yeah? What's wrong?"

"Oh, it's just… Shouldn't your scuff be gone by now? I mean, I don't mean to pry, but considering from what we do know about you as a fighter, it's safe to assume you have an aura, right?"

"Aura? What's that?"

The group halted in its tracks, causing Subaru to bump face first into the back of their leader.

"I knew you were from another planet, but how you could not know what aura is? It's like, one of the best defenses we have against Grimm!" Nora exclaimed, Subaru barely managing to catch her words as he rubbed away the pain on his nose.

"But, he didn't exactly know what a Grimm was either, remember?" Ren responded, Subaru looking at the two.

"_He, _is also still here. I don't have these things on Earth, so you four have to give me a crash course while I'm travelling with you. You already explained Grimm, but Dust and Aura are still new concepts to me." The boy reminded the group, looking at the scuff on his arm for a moment. "I could use a Vaccimin EX Turbo, but I think it might be a waste if just use it on a scrape like this. Oh, I'll just do it 20XX style and just rub it off with some spit."

Before the boy could any further, Jaune put his hand on Subaru's shoulder and shook his head. "Or, we could teach you about Aura and you won't have to expose any potential cuts to your saliva. Trust me, it stings." The blonde knight, allowing Subaru to think it over for a moment.

"Alright, I guess I can just learn this instead."

The grouped breathed a sigh of relief. He doesn't show it often, from how little they've known each other, but for how mature Subaru is, he's still just a kid in the end.

"I'll explain it as easy as I can, I had to learn it a while ago myself." Jaune pointed at himself with his thumb, a smile on his face. "See, an aura is basically a mix between a force field and a minor healing factor. Essentially made from your own soul, or willpower, it protects from harm like the Grimm or other hazards, but it can also heal small wounds, or more depending on the amount of it you have. There's more to it than I think, but that's basically the gist of it."

"How do you get one?" Subaru asked, Ren stepping in, his hands glowing a bright green.

"Many unlock it themselves through years and years of hard work and concentration. But, there are also many who have it unlocked for them. It's taught in a lot of schools, and there's usually a chant that goes with it. I can try and unlock yours if you want." Ren explained, allowing to fizzle a bit in his palms, the energy moving around like sparks and pond water. Subaru nodded, with Ren motioning for him to stick out his hands. The older teen took the hands in his own, his body becoming surrounded in green light, his eyes closing. "_For it is in passing we achieve immortality. Through this we become a paragon of virtue and glory to rise above all, infinite by distance and unbound by death…_" It was at this point, Subaru's own body began to glow a dark navy blue light, a smaller red light flashing in his eyes. "_I release your soul and by my shoulder protect thee._" The light faded from both of them, Ren letting go and opening his eyes. "That's quite the aura. I've never seen one that interesting, or vast."

"Is that good?" Subaru asked, unsure of what happened exactly.

"That's to be determined, but at least you have it now." Nora responded, mocking a punch on the boy's shoulder.

The scuff was gone.

* * *

The group continued down the trail, Subaru unsure of any questions he should be asking about this Aura stuff, but he didn't really bother with it. If it was just a means of protecting himself, it can't hurt too much, right?

"The next village is called, Shion right? Anyone here know what it's like?" Subaru spoke, map held out in front of him. Jaune, an excited smile on his face, started pointing his finger across the map, Subaru following the finger.

"My family used to visit all the time when I was younger. There's a nice bakery here, here's an excellent hiking trail, and, oh, this is where we went camping. I got my own tent, because I was special!" The blonde knight spoke proudly, hand over his chest, before quickly lowering his spirit. "And so my sisters would stop braiding my hair…"

"Didn't like the look?" Ruby chimed in, Subaru lowering the map so she could see it too, just in case.

"They just kept putting it in pigtails. I'm more of a warrior's wolf tail kind of guy myself."

"Isn't that just a ponytail?"

Jaune looked a Ruby for a moment, before rolling his eyes. "I stand by what I said."

The and Subaru were stopped by Nora and Ren, hands on their shoulders. "Guys…" The viking girl let out in a murmur, the three looking up to find smoke emanating from the village. Subaru let out a gasp, his eyes widening.

* * *

_He was back in time, or at least his memories were. Almost half a year ago…_

_Burning buildings, and the scent of hell._

_He was back on Mu, observing the carnage of the world below and above through social media and news outlets. He was about to confront Doctor Orihime. People could die if he isn't fast enough._

_The scenery changes again, Subaru is outside of the now burning rubble of the Dealer base._

_Acid Ace… Akatsuki..._

* * *

Subaru's eyes flash crimson again, the boy tossing the map behind him as he runs in towards the burning village. RNJR is shocked at the sudden movement, Jaune just managing to catch the map as the four chase after the boy.

"War-Rock, transcode!" The star boy shouts, the armor of Rockman forming on him in an instant. The boy runs in, updates swirling onto his visor as he scans the area. He looks for life signs. There's a large mass of life running away from the village in an opposite direction of the destruction. Survivors most likely, but there's one close to him…

And it's fading. Fast.

"Rock, load up some heal cards and hand me a Vaccimin!" Rockman shouts, sprinting to the life sign. He comes across a man in armor leaning against a destroyed building, blood seeping from a wound on his waist. Rockman kneels down, a small needle appearing from his buster.

"Heal cards are being prepped from data, give me a minute while you take care of the first treatment." War-Rock spoke from the buster, the red lights on front shining for a moment. Rockman grabs the mans attention with a snap of his fingers, hearing the approaching footsteps of Team RNJR.

Nora gasps as the teens try to approach the man. Rockman stops them with a motion of the hand. "Stay back! He needs room for this to work." He explains, focusing on the huntsman. "I'm gonna get you back up in no time, so why don't you tell me how this happened?" The boy took a small plastic cap off of the needle.

"It was… Bandits. They ransacked the village this morning. And when they stirred up our fear…" The huntsman spoke, his sentence ending with the needle being jabbed into the other side of his waist. The blood leaking out slowed, and the cut that was once there began to disappear.

"Grimm followed the scent of negative emotions." Ruby finished, looking over the damaged town. Jaune followed her gaze, tears forming in his eyes. A small card appeared on the screen of the buster, Subaru tapping on it, his hand beginning to glow green.

"This is going to tingle for a moment, but I need to do this to finish your healing." Rockman explained, his hand placing itself on the mans chest, before slipping right into his body, placing an extremely light grip on the man's heart.

"I'm not sure if this is a good idea…" Jaune began, looking at the rainbow glow that was pouring itself off of Rockman's wrist, the boys eyes focused on the chest of the man. Slowly he pulled his hand out, the green glow gone, and any mess that should have been there was not seen.

The man took a huge breath of air, getting up with the assistance of Rockman. "I saw a group of people going that way." The armored boy pointed towards the upper part of town. "I think it might be some survivors. Can you get to them on your own?" The man nodded, Rockman letting go of the huntsman who ran after them as if he were in peak condition.

The group of teens looked at Subaru, his hand almost invisible before it changed back into a solid state. The boy looked at the four, confused looks on all of their faces. "What?" He asked a simple question, the four teens responding with simultaneously.

"WHAT WAS THAT?!"

* * *

The five left the town, walking through it quickly before setting up camp, the teens looking at the still armored Rockman as he lit a fire by firing a buster shot at some collected wood pieces. Sitting down, he noticed that RNJR had scooted closer to him, curiosity in their eyes aplenty.

"Okay, now I'll take your questions. One at a time though, don't want to overload myself, or you, with information." The boy spoke, Jaune raising his hand first. "Yes, Jaune?"

"How did you stick your hand in that huntsman's chest?!" The knight let out in shock, his mind still looking back to that moment.

"As Rockman, I'm technically not a full human. I'm considered a Denpa life form, and as such, I can manipulate my body to take on properties of Radio waves, such as a frequency change like I showed you earlier. It takes concentration to do so however, so I can still get hit by attacks if I'm not careful." Ruby raised her hand next, Subaru nodding.

"What other powers do you have like this?" She asked, excitement in her voice.

"Well, I've already displayed the frequency, but I have pretty much increased everything. I have limited hovering capabilities, but flying is a no go. I can interact with things you can't see or hear, and I can access electronic devices to their fullest extent." Ren was next.

"Meaning?"

Subaru smiled, his body blinking into a blue pulse as it zoomed into Ren's pocket. The boy pulled out the contents of the said pocket, his scroll opening to reveal Rockman looking at his photos. "Meaning I can do stuff like this." He zipped out once more in another flash of light, appearing back in the spot he was sitting at. Nora was last.

"What's the heaviest thing you've lifted?" The group looked at her, unprepared for such a different question. "What? I wanna know his beef!" Subaru chuckled, looking at her with joy, before it vanished.

* * *

_He was back in many different spots. Fighting Andromeda, Ra Mu, Apollo Flame, Sirius, Clockman… King._

_Everytime he would lift himself off the ground, bloodied, but still fighting._

* * *

His smile faded, as did the armor of Rockman, his eyes focusing on the fire. "It was uh… It was a train car. I'm done answering questions for now."

The four looked at the boy, quickly feeling the tensity of the situation. They probably poked a bit too much, but still. If the information Subaru presented to them was all true, then by all means and accounts, they could be talking to one of the strongest people on the planet. Subaru offered once more to take final watch, and the group agreed. Nora and Ren took first watch as the three others started to sleep.

"Hey, Ren?" Nora began, scooching herself next to the green teen, who was currently prodding the fire with a stick. The girl looked up at the stars, watching as a comet flew by. "Do you think Subaru's holding back on us?"

"What do you mean by that?" Ren responded. He wasn't unused to Nora's more philosophical and calm moments, even if they were rare, but the question this time was rather sudden compared to most.

"Well, it's just. When we first met him, he gave little detail as to the fight he was in before crashing. Now we find out that he has all these amazing powers, but he lies about the heaviest thing he was carrying."

"He lied? How could he have lied? Train cars are heavy aren't they? Why wouldn't he say that?"

"Not like that. I mean, yeah that's crazy he could do that, but I mean… He cried when we met him. And he cut himself off on questions before we went to bed. That's not to mention how he was the first one in to help the village. I think he's carrying something heavier than a train car, even right now." Though she supposed the two of them did as well, hoof prints heavy on their minds from a small passing in Shion.

Ren looked at the stars, and noticed a shine that was brighter than the others.

Pleiades was shining on the campsite of the travelers.

* * *

_Subaru was at the Dealer headquarters again, but something was off. Why was everyone outside on the roof, and for that matter why was the roof crumbling and on fire? Why did Harp Note have black and red hair? Why was Acid Ace a girl now, same applying to Dread Joker. Who was the woman sitting where king was so pale? Who's the scorpion crouching next to the pale woman?_

"_Pyrrah!" Rockman shouted, Acid Ace smiling in return. That's not Akatsuki's name, but then again, that's not Akatsuki._

"_Remember, Subaru… You're the hero of Jaune-stice." The armored woman spoke, her and the woman that replaced Dread Joker beginning to shake in a red hue._

"_NO!" Rockman screamed, a yellow Ox Fire holding him back._

"_I CAN'T LET YOU DIE AGAIN!"_

* * *

"AKATSUKI!" Subaru woke up in a jump, Jaune shaking him lightly. The boy's eyes flashed red, as the other members woke up.

"Is everything okay, Subaru?" The knight spoke, the others looking with concern at the boy, groggy in their sleepy states. Subaru looked around, the campsite replacing the vision of fear in his mind. The boy nodded, getting out of the sleeping bag he was in.

"Yeah, yeah it's fine. It's my turn to take watch. That was just a way I wake myself up sometimes." Subaru lied through his teeth. He wasn't going to just tell them everything. They know he fought on a meteor and his dad was there. He can't let these teens with enough problems as is know about the other stuff.

"Subaru, you can-" Jaune was about to speak, but was interrupted by the caw of a bird. A crow probably.

"It's fine. I'm taking a walk around the site, be back in a couple minutes." Subaru grabbed his Hunter and walked off, the flapping of wings following his steps.

Pleiades continued to shine.

* * *

The morning began to approach the dreary campsite as Subaru began his walk back to Team RNJR, when a peculiar sight caught his eye.

A tall lanky man with a sword on his back was sitting underneath a tree about five minutes away from the site, a deck of cards aimlessly being shuffled in his hands. The man caught Subaru's attention by giving a cough, and beckoning him to approach. "You know… I only do this kind of thing at parties where I can maybe flirt with somebody, but you're the kind of kid who looks like they might need a bit of fortune telling." The man spoke in a gruff voice, age and some kind of wisdom present in his tone.

Subaru shook his head. "No thanks, I'm not really into that kind of thing." The man got up, drawing one card, and showing it to the kid. On it was a picture of a boy walking next to a dog, a shooting star in the background.

"Well, considering I was only going to draw the one card anyways, I'd say it's a bit too late for that." The man put the cards away, a grin on his face. "Though, it's surprising you got that card. From what little I do know of tarot, I'm pretty sure that one means your on a big journey. I hope it's one with luck."

"For a fortune teller, you're not really good."

"Never said I was one. I'm just a guy with a neat party trick."

"Well, I'm still not buying it. I've no need for luck or fate, or anything like that. I'm just out here living my life." Subaru ended, continuing his trek back to the campsite.

"I guess that's why those kids and you get along so well." The man murmured, Subaru turning to question why he said that, but found no person there. Instead, he found a single crow on the road, beginning to fly away.

The sun began to rise, but Pleiades continued to shine.

* * *

After grabbing their stuff, Team RNJRS left early after sunrise, the group still in a dour mood from the night before.

"C'mon guys! If we pick up the pace, we can hit the next town before sunset!" Ruby cheered, attempting to make the mood less dense. "What's it called again? Uh… Hig.. Ann… Bana?"

"Higanbana. It's a well protected village with a popular inn." Ren pointed, a smile on his face.

"Which means, no camping in the rain!" Nora chimed in, a skip in her step, her eyes watching the grey clouds forming overhead.

"A bed does sound pretty nice…" Subaru murmured, the group nodding in response.

"You know, we've had ups and downs lately, but I guess it could be worse. You think we'd have seen more Grimm."

"Guess we just took the right path!" Subaru added in. "To Higanbana!"

"To Higanbana!" The rest cheered, a smile on all of their faces.

Subaru's pendant shone bright, as the group made their way to the next village.

* * *

**RWBYSei Omake!**

"You think anyone will be able to figure out our true power, kid?" War Rock spoke to Subaru on their moonlit trail, the campsite a little bit behind the two.

"One day, maybe." Subaru replied, a glance at his buster giving him a smile.

A list of people with smiling faces next to the names reflecting his face back towards himself.

"Our friends are always with us, after all."

* * *

**Another Chapter down, and a little bit of an explanation. See, I'm taking a little bit of liberty here and applying both game and anime canon to this situation Subaru is in, which allows him his frequency change abilities. The heal card ability affecting someone other than Subaru will be explained, but I can say that putting his hand inside like that is important. Also, I hope you caught the references to Operate Shooting Star, because that games important too!**

**Please understand that this chapter is shorter due to plot concerns. There may be a lengthy one in the future, but that is for time to tell.**

**Until next chapter!**

* * *

**NEXT TIME:**

**Jaune : **What do you want with Ruby?!

**? : **My mistress will be pleased if I bring her back~!

**War-Rock : **You don't know what will happen if you do that!

**Chapter 3, A Flaming Scorpius**

**Rockman: Ox… Noise… **


	3. Chapter 3, A Flaming Scorpius

**I'm gonna preface this one by reminding everyone that this story is rated T.**

* * *

**A journey interrupted by a visitor from the stars that defies the story once told. Fate no longer exists, as the story changes to a tale of hope! Make haste to Haven Academy, RNJR, Shooting Star Rockman!**

_Ruby swings a slice with her Crescent Rose, Jaune cutting in with a chop of his Crocea Mors, before the two fade into stardust, Subaru's back becoming the focus, before Rockman turns around to face the oncoming obstacle, War Rock bursting out of the Rock Buster, the duo beginning a punching and blasting barrage._

_**As all these memories fade to stardust**_

_**Let's brave the world as the hunters we are**_

_**We'll make it far**_

_**Can't let the hands of time enslave us**_

_**'Cause you know that's not the way we wanna go**_

_Team RNJR looks up at the starry night sky above them, as a meteor shower rages above them, Rockman crashes towards them. The blue bomber shakes the hit off, before changing into Subaru as the now group of five begin their trek towards Mistral. Black and white claws surround the group, but once they reach Subaru in the middle, they disappear in an instant flash of blue._

_**Caught up in a bind; fingers tied**_

_**But I'm gonna prove that we've won**_

_**'Cause we're made of platinum**_

_The quintrio set up a camp for the night (Subaru jumping behind the campfire), before they all wake up to watch the morning sun. A series of wave roads, covered in the faces of all of RNJR and Subaru's friends intertwine, swirling into the leaders of RWBY and JNR, Subaru fading in later as the three stand tall, chests puffed out as the youngest of the group leads the other two in a proud smile._

_**Take a stand, take a stand, take a stand**_

_**And you'll turn it around**_

_**Understand, understand, understand**_

_**That they'll burn to the ground**_

_**Break it down, break it down, break it down**_

_**And don't give me a frown**_

_Ren jumps from tree to tree, shooting his Stormflowers at an unseen target, Nora interrupting as she swings Magnhild in an upward arc, the enemy sent flying as Ruby meets it with a swipe of her Crescent Rose, Jaune coming in from the side with a swing of his dual hand mode Crocea Mors. The foe's vision spirals upwards as they see Rockman face against Tyrian, a shout escaping his lungs as his armor begins to stain itself in a red hue, horns sprouting out of the helmet, flames erupting around him._

_**Be a star and try to STAND PROUD!**_

_The scene cuts back to a regular armor Rockman, the boy punching a barrier, which behind it stands the faces of a witch and a blood red dragon. War Rock bursts out once more, but now joined by Team RNJR as the group once more begins an attack on the barrier. Rockman and War Rock punching, Ruby, Jaune, and Ren using their respective weapons to slice the obstacle, Nora using Magnhild to slam on the barrier. The group finishes the barrage as the ends of their respective weapons break the barrier like glass, the fists of Rockman and War Rock smoking as they stop._

* * *

It was nice to be in a bed for a bit, that and out of the rain too. RNJRS had finally made it to Higanbana, but not before the rain had set in, the five booking it to the nearest building with light. In a lucky turn of events, it happened to be the in they were looking for, and was well received by the group of travellers.

"Make sure to get some good sleep. We're only a little halfway there, so we've a few more weeks of walking ahead of us." Ren spoke to Subaru, the two boys being the last to bed as the others had already been in their rooms snoozing. The star child nodded his head, entering the room that was reserved for him, and letting the door close itself behind him.

Subaru leaned back against the door, sliding down onto his rear end as he let out a heavy sigh. It had been almost a week since he met Team RNJR, and even still they feel like strangers to him. It doesn't help that neither side want to inform the other of the past that lead them to where they are now, but Subaru supposed it was for the best. The kindness of strangers can only be pushed so far.

The boy picked himself up off the ground and let himself stagger towards his bed, falling onto it with a heavy **THUD**, and a small groan of dissatisfaction. He turned himself over, pulling the blanket of the bed over himself, placing his Hunter and Visualizers on the table next to him. "Goodnight, War-Rock." He spoke in a hushed voice, turning out the dust powered lantern next to the bed.

"Goodnight, kid." The AM-ian replied, a small red light on the Hunter glowing softly, as Subaru was lulled into dreamland.

* * *

_He was on top of the Astro Wave, Phantom Black once more blocking his way. It was a struggle to even breath, the Noise was restrictive. Subaru stared at Dark Phantom, but once more things had changed._

_Light blinded the boy, as Phantom Black took on a new visage. He was replaced by a man in white clothing, a scorpion tail flowing from behind him. The man took on a wicked smile, as shadows surrounded Subaru. Those monsters, the creatures RNJR call Grimm began to overtake him. There were too many, too many to focus on at once. Why was this happening, this didn't happen like this?!_

_Subaru opened his eyes wide, his pupils dilating as he began to burn. Burn, burn, burn, and burn! He became a sweltering star, and fire surrounded him. He felt a familiar flame burn in his heart as he began to change. His armor had died itself red, horns shot out from the sides of his helmet, and his shoulders became bulky._

_His armor was different from how remembered. His new scarf was there, and it had become a ring of fire, moving around the neck of the boy, but never burning him. His gauntlet, his buster arm, and his boots become bulkier as well, bolts forming on them as the flames became hotter._

_The boy let out a monstrous roar, the grim that were piling being flung away by the sheer force of his yell. He focused on the scorpion man and kicked off the ground, a fist readying to punch the opponents face. Yet, as it made contact..._

* * *

Subaru woke up with a gasp. He bolted up in bed, checking his surroundings. The inn room was beginning to fill with the glow of a rising sun, War Rock letting out loud snores from within the hunter. Subaru shook his head and grabbed the Hunter and Visualizers, putting them on.

"I hate these weird dreams." He spoke aloud to his audience of zero.

* * *

After a quick meal, and a payment to the inn, RNJRS was on their way once more, the five making quick work of the day and setting off.

"Ugh! I hate all this walking! I thought the trip to Mistral would be shorter than this!" Ruby complained, the group giving a jokeful side eye to her whining. Subaru took a look at the map, examining the shape of the continent they were on.

From what he's learned from word of mouth, and general study, Anima is the largest continent on planet Remnant, and is a vast land of wonder and danger a plenty. If they were just in Higanbana, then that means the walk to Mistral is as long a time as Ren had said. They were a few more weeks away from arriving if Subaru's judgement of time was correct, and he was pretty sure it was.

"Well of course it was gonna take a while, we're starting all the way from Vale! A month is short considering we're supplying both ourselves and a kid." Jaune retorted, stopping Subaru in his tracks.

"You four have been at this for a month?!" He exclaimed in his surprise, the four teens turning to look at him, each beginning to nod their heads at their own pace. The boy grabbed his head, trying to get his thoughts straight. "No wonder you guys are so surprised at this stuff." He muttered, letting the group resume their walk.

"Hey, wait. What's that?" Ruby separates the topic, pointing up ahead. A wall surrounding what seems to be a village, but the are looks dusty and abandoned.

"That's odd. The map doesn't say anything about a village here. Is it new?" Subaru focuses in on the map, trying to find a marking of the area.

Nora hops on top of a nearby fence post, putting her hand above her eyes as she tries to look in. She shakes her, pointing with her free hand. "No, the buildings are… Damaged." She says, causing Subaru to begin running again. The remaining team RNJR remember the last time this happened, running after the boy.

They group splits apart, beginning to look around the village, only to find an empty place. Subaru put on his Visualizers, hoping to find any waves, but it was empty. Save for a small wave that seemed to be off in the distance. It was heading their way. And fast. Subaru took of his special specs, heading toward the group who were crowding around some kind of sign.

"Oniyuri…" Subaru read the sign aloud, looking at the intricate carving of the wood.

"A disaster site." Ren finished, the group turning to look at him. "Think of it like Anima's Mountain Glenn, had it never been completed. Years ago, the richest members of Mistral were unhappy with how the Kingdom was being run. Frustrated with the council, they pooled their resources together to build their own city, with their own laws. They hoped that one day, it could maybe even become its own Kingdom. Many thought it would be the future…" Ren cut himself, walking away from the sign. "I know my parents did."

"What happened?" Ruby asked, Subaru walking next to Ren, kicking up some dirt to reveal claw marks on what little stone remained in the town.

"What do you think?" Subaru replied grimmly, turning to look at the others. He activates the beginning of his transformation sequence, putting himself in a defensive stance. "I sensed an odd wave coming from off in the distance earlier while I was checking for people. It was heading our way, and fast. Prepare yourselves, I don't think it's friendly. TRANSCODE!" Subaru finished with the activation of his armor, the muffler that formed around his neck now a burnt crimson color instead of its grey he had gotten used to.

RNJR pull out their weapons, huddling around each other, back to back in a circle, all of them in a ready mode. "Are you sure, Subaru?" Jaune asked, his grip tightening on the handle of his Crocea Mors. The boy nods, and the action is followed by a confirmation of Subaru's suspicions. A loud cackling fills the empty village, and a shadow stalks the roofs of the destroyed homes. RNJRS slowly beginning moving themselves away from the center of town.

They edge closer and closer to the wall, and are met by the object Subaru had been tracking. A man in white clothes, a tan jacket, and the face Subaru had seen the night before. The man armed a pair of blades attached to his wrist, as he swung himself at Ruby, blocked by Ren as he catches the blades with his own, attempting a kick, before the man dodges, running from the shots fired by the green boy. The man lunges again, this time meeting a battle of blades, as the two combatants parry each hit, until the newcomer kicks Ren away, turning his attention back to Ruby.

The man makes another move at the red riding hood, this time being met by Rockman. The man attempts a swipe at the boy in blue, being met by a knuckle sandwich to the gut, causing the man to stagger off a bit. Ren picks himself up, rushing to the group who now stand next to Rockman.

"We're not looking for a fight!" Jaune pleads with the man, a cackle being the only response.

"Who are you?!" Ren asks, raising his Stormflowers up once more.

Finally, the man talks, in a chilling voice, one that Subaru would place most aptly in the face of one of his past opponents. "Who I matters not to you." He points at Ren. "Or you." He points at Nora. "Or…" He stops short, pointing at Jaune. "Well… You, _do_ interest me." He points at Rockman next, a glare in his eyes, as he tries to judge the boy. "You… You might be something else worth looking into. However…" He finally points at Ruby. "I only matter to you~."

"Me?" Ruby responds, unsure of what this man means. She tightens her grip on Crescent Rose, as she stares down the man to the best of her abilities.

Her attempts at being intimidating have no effect, as the man begins to cackle once more. "Oh, OH, you haven't the slightest clue, do you?! Oh how deliciously exciting this must be!" He replies, tapping his fingers against each other as he shares a grim smile.

"What do you want?!" Ruby yells back, her tone becoming more serious.

"Oh, so the rose has thorns! Why my little flower, I'm here to whisk you away!" The man responds, bowing as he twirls his hands around.

Subaru begins to breath heavily. This man and his mannerisms, the dramatics, the flaunting, the cackling, the poses. The man of Subaru's nightmares begins to fade as Phantom Black begins to take his place. Subaru's eyes dilate once more, the red beginning to overtake them. Jaune steps to the front, blocking the view of the man.

"We're absolutely not going to let you do that." Jaune replies, his stance firming itself. The man/Hyde cackles again.

"Good~." He replies, launching himself forward at the blonde knight, but side stepping away, to get behind him, knowing full well that the taller knight is blocking Rockman's view.

"Subaru!" Ren yelled, aiming his guns at the assailant.

The blue bomber, with eyes of crimson, turned to look at the man, a single word leaving the boys mouth. "Lightspeed." He speaks soundly, the world itself beginning to slow down around him, until all motion comes to a stop. Subaru walks away, his crimson scarf growing longer and longer with each step.

"Kid." War-Rock speaks up. "I know that it's hard to accept everything that's happened lately, but you can't just leave these people behind."

"I'm not." Subaru responds, turning himself around, to face the scene. After images of his walk behind him, as the man focuses on trying to attack the shadow of the Blue Bomber. "I'm merely backing up because I know what's happening." A red glow begins to surround Rockman, as his body begins to phase in and out in a pattern of splotches and glitches.

"Kid, no. We don't what a Noise Change will do if we use the stuff the Meteor infected your insides with." War-Rock replied, the red glow continuing to spread.

"And how do you know that it was Meteor G that gave me this?! You think I didn't notice what would happen to my eyes when I Finalized a form? For all we know, this Aura stuff is simply amplifying the power that came from Black Ace or Red Joker. I say we test it out!" Subaru responded, letting the Noise overtake him.

The world began to speed up again, but instead of the man hitting Rockman with his blades, the entire party was blown away by an explosive force, coming from only a few feet away. There, standing in a circle of flames, stood a new Rockman.

Horns erupting from his helmet, bulky armor on his shoulders, gauntlet, buster, and boots, bolts interplaced between them, and a flame red color over taking the normal blue. The red scarf had become a swirling mess of flames, as the boy in it all opened his now yellow eyes.

The boy looked at the man now on the hard ground before him, an intensity in his eyes that was not present before. "**Ox… Noise…**" He let out in a gruff tone, the man smiling at the new look.

"Well, my my, look at this. Is this your weapon, or perhaps your semblance? I suppose it doesn't really matter either way, since I'll just slice it open to see how it works!" The man giggled, kicking himself up, and off towards Rockman. The flaming red fighter moved not an inch of his body, instead choosing to remain as still as a rock. The man approached closer, blade at the ready to slice the chest of Rockman. A couple feet more, and…

**SLAM.** It was as if in an instant, Rockman himself towards the man, a fist slamming into the attackers face, grey metal like fingers leaving an imprint on the cheek for but an instant, until a purple aura shuddered over the man and fixed the impact. Rockman grabbed the mans head with the giant hand, slamming it down into his knee, as it left another impact to be healed.

"You little…" The man began, getting interrupted by another punch to the face, though this time it was blocked… By the end of a Scorpion tail. "Surprise~." He kicked himself away from the red Rockman, flipping himself up to a nearby roof.

"A… faunus." Ren spoke in surprise, Rockman running to his side. "And, could you always do this?"

"Kind of. It looking like this and having the strength it doesn, that's new. Not that I'm complaining." Subaru replied, his voice returning to normal. "Sorry about that little outburst, I'm working through some stuff."

"What is this about?!" Ruby shouts at the man, her Crescent Rose aimed steady on him. "The White Fang?! Roman Torchwick?!" Ruby listed things unfamiliar to Subaru, which means another history lesson soon, hopefully.

"Plastic soldiers and pawns in the grand scheme of life." The man replies, twirling his tail. "No, my heart and mind belong only my mistress. My... _Goddess~._" The man let the final word hang as he spoke it with a sick tone of love.

"Cinder…" Ruby spoke in a venomous tone, leaving Subaru even more confused.

"Hmph, maybe in her wildest dreams." The man replies, launching himself towards Rockman. The boy readies himself, but is unprepared when the man suddenly turns himself, and a pair of muzzles spring out of the gauntlets attached to the blades, firing bullets at Ruby. Rockman prepares to run over, but is stopped, by the sudden appearance of a face from the other night.

The lanky man, with a sword on his back, stands in front of Ruby, bullets blocked by the weapon behind him. "Hey kiddo." He speaks, Ruby looking at him in surprise.

The man puts his hands up, a cruel smile forming on his face. "Why as I live and breath, Qrow Branwen! A true Huntsman has entered the fray~!" The man speaks in delight, his arms opening up in a grand gesture. The lanky man looks behind him, Rockman running up to his side, and Ruby giving the guy a shrug.

"I don't know, this guy's weird." Ruby speaks to Qrow, the man's attention turning to the fighter next to him.

"Listen kid, I'm sure you've got plenty of energy to keep going but this guy might be a bit out of your league." Qrow speaks in a tone reminiscent of adults Subaru doesn't like talking to. The adults that look down on poor little Subaru, like he must be insane thinking his dad was still alive after the Peace accident.

"When you've fought more planet ending threats than there are days in a week, you can tell me what I can and can't do. So why don't you ask the psychopath here some questions, before I start punching you too?" Rockman replied in a beefy tone, reminiscent of his friend Gonta. For a moment, the slight image of a towering bull man made from light covers Rockman, as a blue light flashes over him in a fizzle.

Qrow is taken aback by the attitude, and decides to ask the kid questions after this, and focus on scorpion man first. "Alright pal, I'm not sure who you are, but you need to leave my niece alone."

The scorpion faunus giggles. "Why, friend, my name is Tyrian. And I'm afraid that is not possible. My assignment from Her Grace was to retrieve this young girl. So, that is what I must do. One does not upset the Queen." Tyrian, a name at last, reveals, a certain chill filling the air as he finishes speaking.

"Queen?" Ruby asks, Qrow giving a grimace.

"Salem…" The lanky man speaks, a confusion left to his niece and the boy next to him.

"Now, I think we've had enough talk now, don't you?" Tyrian crouches down, readying another leap to attack.

"Then come on _Sasori-yaro!_" Rockman shouts, Tyrian rushing forward attempting a slash on the boy, but his face is caught by Rockman's hand, Qrow pulling his sword and swinging at the man with the blunt side, causing him to go flying. Rockman uses a buster shot to launch himself towards the flying faunus, catching up quickly, balling his hands together and slamming them down on the man, sending him crashing into the stone ground.

Ruby and Nora rush in, Ruby shooting the man with her Sniper mode weapon, while Nora swing Magnhild at the man, but the blunt edge was countered by Tyrian's tail, swiping the appendage, causing Nora to go flying, crashing into Ruby as an effect. The man gets up to pursue them, but Qrow kicks him away, Rockman landing with a thud behind him, leaving cracks in the stone. "Don't get any closer!" Qrow shouts, the man and Rockman running after Tyrian.

"Fine!" Ruby shouts, running off as she repostions herself on a half completed roof. Taking aim, Ruby loads an electric dust cartridge in. "Subaru! Frequency change!" She shouts, the boy growing a grin. Tyrian swipes his tail, trying to sweep Rockman and Qrow, but as he does, the tail passes right through them in a rainbow glow.

"What?!" Tyrian exclaims, any further words being forgotten as he shot with a burst of electricity, a rainbow pulse around it as it flies through Rockman intangible chest. Another shot, and another, but the shots aren't as effective, as Rockman and Qrow becomes tangible again, Tyrian kicking the two fighters away, close to the building Ruby was on.

The red hood girl jumps down, cutting off a rush by Tyrian, Qrow getting up quickly and joining his niece in a barrage of attacks, with Rockman joining in last. A burst of light, and War Rock (with small flames on his armor plates) joined in, the two letting out a furious yell. Uncle and Niece move out the way as Alien Partners begin a barrage of punches. "ORA ORA ORA!" Subaru yells, the final punch sending both parties flying, Rockman slamming into the old building behind him, a wooden plank falling from above.

Qrow acts fast, tackling Rockman out of the way, but it was all futile. A good swipe from the tail, and Qrow is in shock. A large cut on his abdomen, blood seeping out. Rockman was done now. Taking both hands, he grabbed the scorpion tail, a shining red card swiping itself across the buster, fire beginning to pour from both of Rockman's fists. Tugging hard, Tyrian is pulled towards the raging red fighter, a foot to the psychotic man's back. The whole group stared at the scene, aware of what was going to happen next.

"**ATOMIC BOOSTER!**" Rockman yelled, the fire blasting out the fists in a blue blaze as Subaru kicks Tyrian away, tearing the scorpion tail right off of the man. A hideous scream erupts from Tyrian, Subaru's hands covered in a purple poison, as he tosses the tail to the side.

"YOU SON OF A BITCH!" Tyrian staggers, trying to catch his balance without his tail to help him anymore. Team JNR moves in to block his path from the three fighters. Tyrian whimpers, backing off a bit. "S-she'll forgive you." He whispers to himself, before running away from the group.

The collective fighters breath a sigh of relief, before hearing a sudden coughing. They all turn to look at Subaru, his armored form collapsing off of him as he changes back into his normal self, a bit of blood flying from his mouth in one last cough before he passes out. Qrow falls to his knees, in a moment of both the wound finally catching up to him, and to make sure the kid didn't get hurt.

"Uncle Qrow! Subaru!" Ruby shouts, running over to the two, hoping they were both going to be okay.

Subaru gets one last glimpse at Jaune running over to pick him up, a faded image of his friend Gonta next to him. But the last thing he heard was not the voice of his friends, but the voice of the Meteor Server, speaking through the Hunter VG.

"**HEAVY OX NOISE UNLOCK. 1 OF 10 UNLOCKED. 4 REMAIN TO SHINING ACCESS."**

* * *

When Subaru opened his eyes, he did not see the rocky cobble of Oniyuri's roads in front of his face. Instead, he saw a wave road, with a battle program in front of him. He was in this new Ox Noise, Heavy Ox the Hunter called it he thinks. He looks for a way out, when he finally sees a sight for sore eyes, or at least, a message of him.

A slightly translucent man, with a hazy blue glow to him, looks at Subaru, and smiles in that way only he could. He scratches his stubby face, and then scratches the back of his head. "Hey Subaru. It's your dad. Well, I'm not there with you right now, but hopefully I will be soon! Oh, man… I am not good at this, huh?" The recording of Daigo Hoshikawa speaks, a chuckle at his own words following.

Subaru laughs with the recording. It may not be him, but it's so much easier to his heart to just hear his dad after nearly four years. The boy sits down, the bulkier armor making it quite difficult, but he does anyway. It's easier to hear this way.

"If you're seeing this, that means my reaching you kind of worked! I successfully managed to rewrite the core of Crimson Dragon and make it work for Rockman." Daigo says, a peace sign thrust forward. Subaru's eyes widened. His dad, reworked the core for him? Even after all this time, his dad was still so cool.

"Which means some new powers for you! I had a while to make these recordings, since you know… Lightspeed and stuff." Daigo chuckles again, Subaru looking at his dad with pride. A small tear falls down his face, before the young hero shakes it off.

"So, this one should be your power up for this Ox form you have. I don't know much about the person behind it, but I do know that it seems to be important, so I'm hoping it's based on one of your friends. So, **Heavy Ox Noise**, should be a great fit. I'll explain a bit, and then have you do a test combat program, if that's cool!" Daigo's recording speaks in a boastful pride, swelling up his chest. Subaru nods, ready to learn more about the power he just used to… Oh dear Orion, he just ripped a tail off of another person, and the realization just hit him. No, no, now is not the time to panic. His dad is telling him stuff.

"Heavy Ox Noise is very much a Heavy Hitter, heh, get it? Heavy? Hitter? Ahhh, anyways, because of that physical attacks, with the exception of Weapon based cards such as Swords or Axes, are stronger than normal, same with fire type attacks. In addition, you gain Super Armor, which means Rockman won't ever flinch. Now, if you used a Big Bang attack, you might have noticed you didn't need a counter to get it. That's because you have two per form now." Daigo began his explanation, Subaru tilting his head a bit towards the Big Bang info. "One for Non-counters where you need the power for a boost, or a new counter specific to each form. Heavy Ox Noise's Noise Force Big Bangs are now Ox Blaze Barrage and Atomic Booster respectively. So, how's about trying out the new powers?" Daigo finished, the training program beginning to run.

Subaru stood up, readying himself to fight, until Daigo walked in front of the viruses, his blue glow more noticeable against the yellow of the Met's in the program. "Before the Peace accident, before this Meteor, you were such a passive boy Subaru… And I look at you now, and I see a hero willing to fight for his friends, and an entire Earth of people you haven't met yet, and I couldn't be more proud of the person you've become Subaru." The recording smiles, a tear running down the image of his dad's face. "Just know that even if things become scary, or hard to deal with… I and all of your friends believe in you Subaru." The recording ends, and the viruses begin to get closer.

Subaru let's his mind ease up a bit. What he did to Tyrian, was an act of self defense, but more than that, was necessary to protect the people close to him. He won't let people hurt his friends. The boy smiles, readying himself to fight once more.

"Wave Battle… Ride On!" He shouts, running in, his fist engulfed in flame.

* * *

Subaru opens his eyes again, and it's a little after sunrise. He sits up, looking at his surroundings. The group, with the exception of this Qrow guy are sleeping in the forest, the lanky man sitting against a rock. Subaru gets up, walking himself over to the man in a tired stagger, plopping himself down on the ground next to him.

"So, the prodigal kid wakes up. How was your nap?" Qrow asks, taking a swig of some form of alcohol from the flask in his hand. Subaru attempts a shrug, though stops about halfway through, his shoulders to sore. The boy reaches into one of his pouches, producing another Vaccimin.

"Will take a couple of days to heal the poison, but this should also take care of the cut itself instantly." The boy explains, putting the needle in Qrow's lap, the older man nodding his head in response.

"We probably both have questions and answers for each other about what happened back during that fight, but I just spent the night explaining the majority of it to the kids. Can we trade basics, and call it a night?" The man asks, prepping himself to take the medicine. Subaru nods in response. "Alright. Here's my short and easy of it. That man works for a lady named Salem. She and her lot did some damage to a major city a few months back, and her end goal is destruction of life or something like that. Ruby was a key factor in keeping damage down, and is targeted for it because of her eyes. Your turn." The man finished, stabbing himself in the arm with the needle, his eyes shrinking for but a moment.

"I'm an alien from another planet and so is my friend. We fuse to turn into a superhero, and I have other forms. That was a new one. That guy we fought is comparable at best to a low ranking FM-ian general, or high ranking Jammer, two types of enemies I've fought before, but even that is an overstatement. I'm not saying anything else." Subaru finished, getting back up and moving himself back to his sleeping bag. Qrow leaned further into the rock, closing his eyes for the night.

* * *

When morning finally hit the group that has grown to six, a terrible occurence struck. Qrow's poisoned wound was affecting his health. "I should have woken up sooner. The Vaccimin would have at least gotten to him quicker." Subaru began to blame himself, Ruby patting his shoulder.

"No one's blaming you for anything, it was Tyrian who did this. Not you." She comforted him, the two walking over and putting themselves under the man's arms to support him.

"The best we can do for now is to start walking and hope there's a village sooner than later." Jaune spoke, grabbing his bag and starting the way for the group.

"Well, at least you kids can show me your excellent survival skills up close." Qrow joked, followed by a series of coughs.

"Come on old man, we're only just starting." Subaru snarked back, watching the grey clouds overhead. "Nothings stopping us now."

* * *

"Nothing."

The trail before them begins to twist and wind, leading to a wooden sign. Signs point to Mistral and Kuroyuri, and arrow flying mast the sign coming from the destination of the travellers, a horrible screech following it.

* * *

**We now approach the end of the Journey to Mistral, which means the end of V4 in RWBY and Arc 1 here! Such a short road here, though Subaru being here made things quicker. Next time the story changes a bit too, since now a foe from Ren's past is still making tracks up the mountain, and the group isn't too far behind. Saving the Omake for next time too! Till then!**

* * *

**NEXT TIME**

**Ren: **For myself…

**Ruby: **I've got a good feeling about our future.

**Jaune: **We can get the arms!

**Nora: **We did it…

**Chapter 4, Wild Heart's Revenge**

**Rockman: WILD WOLF NOISE!**


End file.
